Vince Young tore a tendon in his right thumb in a 19-16 overtime loss to the Redskins on Sunday and may need surgery. But whether he has surgery or not, Titans’ head coach Jeff Fisher has made it clear that the starting quarterback job won’t be Young’s once he returns.
According to the Nashville Tennessean, Young tossed his shoulder pads into the stands and left LP Field “abruptly.” Teammate Michael Griffin reportedly chased after him as he left the stadium, but Young brushed him off and continued walking.
This is what Fisher had to say about replacing Young with Rusty Smith, as well as his quarterbacks’ attitude following the game:
“Vince tore a flexor tendon in his thumb and I was not satisfied with his ability to control the ball so I stayed with Rusty,” Fisher said. “He never said to me he was OK and wanted to go back in, and I was told he was a little upset after, and I was also told he threw half his uniform in the stands.
“Clearly that is no way to respond, so we have some things we have to sort out with him. He may need surgery, and if that’s the case, he is done for the year. If that’s the case, Rusty is our guy.”
Fisher was later asked if Young had lost his starting job and Fisher said, “Yes, right now he has.” While it’s a bit premature to say that VY is done in Tennessee, he has to be about out of chances. He had a mental breakdown two years ago when he considered quitting football altogether. Then he was given the starting job in preseason this year after playing well in the second half last season and the Titans thought he had turned a corner.
Now he can’t beat out Rusty Smith. So again, while it’s too soon to draw any conclusions about his future in Tennessee, one would think that the Titans will be searching for a new quarterback next offseason. Either that, or Fisher is trying to send a message to Young that he has to be more of a leader. That he can’t act like a child when things don’t go his way and that he can’t lead his teammates when they’re the ones chasing him out of the locker room.
Some players have all the talent in the world but nothing in the intangibles department. It appears as though Vince Young is one of those players.
